John McCain is right. Waterboarding is torture as defined by everyone from international treaties to the United States military. No one with a brain can look at it as something else. So for Republican presidential candidates without a whisper of foreign policy or military experience to stand on a stage and praise waterboarding and pledge to restore its use in interrogations is highly disturbing. These clueless clowns are putting the safety of all American troops at risk with their rhetoric. http://www.sunstateactivist.org

1:37 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

What the hell does McCain know about torture? He's a weak-kneed liberal.

1:47 pm November 14, 2011

Cevennes wrote:

The U.S. tried and executed Axis soldiers for waterboarding after World War II, so classifying the technique as torture hardly seems unreasonable. American exceptionalism isn't bestowed by some deity; it is earned. It is being lost by the moral vacuity of the dominant forces currently shaping the Republican Party.

1:55 pm November 14, 2011

Shiloh wrote:

Good for McCain; younger politicians should pay attention.

Foreign policy needs to revert back to the projection of values; leading by example.

Torture is twisting a person's arm until they say "uncle", or whatever else it is you tell them that you want them to say.

Political coverage for politicians desperate to show "results", even if those results have to be coerced and/or fabricated; cover for hiring the wrong people in the first place who don't know how or lack the proper credentials to do the job the right way...

2:04 pm November 14, 2011

skiflorida wrote:

Since there's a John McCain chapter in the Book of How to Loose Elections, I'm glad the Republican candidates aren't taking his advice.

2:04 pm November 14, 2011

W L wrote:

McCain does know torture, Mr. Anonymous. He was in 'Nam as a POW for many years, kid. You wouldn't know it because you're too young to remember.

2:05 pm November 14, 2011

Reality Check wrote:

Good for McCain! Let the GOP circular firing squad commence!

2:06 pm November 14, 2011

Drone wrote:

Let me get this straight. Its ok to put a "hellfire" on Al Awlaki and vaporize him, but not ok to waterboard KSM because its inhumane. Yes this is quite "exceptional", quite.

2:06 pm November 14, 2011

Interesting wrote:

In light of the answers given, I'd have really enjoyed hearing Romney and Gingrich answer as well.

Assume this is layered in sarcasm / irony / snark. At least, for your sake, I hope so. If not, jesus wept, and your incomparale ignorance is now on public display - and, reco you look up McCain's service, time in Vietnam POW camp, and the horrible torture to which he was subjected over many years. He knows far more, and far more deeply, of what he speaks than any of the armchair warriors on the stage at the debate. Wow, just wow.

2:10 pm November 14, 2011

old man with good blood stats wrote:

gingrich & romney were hard-core draft dodgers
all they know about the military they learned watching the military channel and playing video games

McCain may be a cranky old dickwad
but he knows torture

2:10 pm November 14, 2011

Bighorndon wrote:

"Anonymous" asks "what the hell does John McCain know about torture?". Duh, I would say he has a personal history which might qualify him to speak on the subject.

2:13 pm November 14, 2011

Me wrote:

Anon wrote: "So for Republican presidential candidates without a whisper of foreign policy or military experience to stand on a stage and praise waterboarding"

actually Perry DOES have military experience, i suggest you do your homework before you open your trap, because it seems clear you don't look before you walk.

2:14 pm November 14, 2011

McCain is a Fool wrote:

This old fool is clearly senile. What is the "acceptable way" of dealing with terrorists who are hell-bent on destroying American lives? Why doesn't this fool retire from politics and write a few more books as his peers have done?

2:17 pm November 14, 2011

McCain knows wrote:

Since Cain is so sure that waterboarding isn't torture...he should be willing to submit to waterboarding to determine if he groped and harassed all those poor women.
For Cain, it could be a win-win.
Unless of course...he is guilty, or waterboarding does indeed elicit false confessions.
But what better way to find out?

2:17 pm November 14, 2011

jake wrote:

I believe McCain is correct... water boarding is torture. But so was 9/11. And so was his pathetic campaign that gave us this loser of a president and the legacy of Palin, ugh.

2:21 pm November 14, 2011

@McCain is a Fool wrote:

Three years after waterboarding was banned, the president who banned it oversaw the killing of the perpetrator of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.--something the great promoters and users of waterboarding were never able to do, despite the application of that and other forms of torture on war prisoners.

McCain's political fate, sadly, reflects the moral corruption of the party to which he has devoted his political life. He's not the problem; the GOP is.

2:21 pm November 14, 2011

Shut up McCain wrote:

McCain, you lost the last election in part due to your awful campaign. Do we really need your pontifications in the middle of deciding the GOP nominee? Let's let the candidates debate their positions without the loser from the last election trying to referee the debate.

2:22 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

"What is the “acceptable way” of dealing with terrorists who are hell-bent on destroying American lives?"

i know, rite? we shuld sink down to their level and beat them at their own game! rite? if they torture people we should too. it makes perfect sense

2:26 pm November 14, 2011

Drone wrote:

Yep, jake, he had his shot and screwed it up royally. Now he's taking shots at those who would try to undo what his ineptitude saddled us with. Patriot Mc Cain just needs to hang it up and go home. I served in VN with the Special Forces long before his overflight ended in capture - supported him in the 2000 primary - still like him, but he's had his day

2:30 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

Why doesn't this old clown go away? He is a useless bore.

2:34 pm November 14, 2011

@Drone wrote:

"Taking shots"????? As a senior senator from Arizona, a former presidential contender and a veteran and former prisoner of war, he is in a strong position to comment on the positions of the current crop of marionettes putatively running for the GOP nomination. He didn't "screw it up royally." You, like most nutjob right-wing amnesiacs, refuse to acknowledge, though it be there right in your face, is that the previous president's feckless rule made it impossible for any GOP candidate to win. McCain was dealt a losing hand before he even took a place at the table. His big mistake was to try to overcome that insurmountable obstacle by selecting Palin as his running mate, pandering to the unschooled toads who have hijacked his party.

2:36 pm November 14, 2011

gregg wrote:

McCain slams others to contrast with his own self-promoted virtuous saintly posturing self

2:40 pm November 14, 2011

Drone wrote:

And despite his extensive experience he's wrong about waterboarding. I wonder what he would say about vaporizing Al Awlaki? You might want to check your BP, @drone.

2:42 pm November 14, 2011

@Drone wrote:

And I guess the war-crimes tribunals that executed Japanese soldiers for waterboarding were wrong, too.

2:43 pm November 14, 2011

Bkusz wrote:

I guess that makes McCain an isolationist according to the majority of brainless republican voters that call RonPaul one.

Go figure, McCain agreeing with Ron Paul. ;')

2:43 pm November 14, 2011

Judging by comments here wrote:

Republican party has become a cesspool of ignorance and anti-intellectualism. Definitely NOT exceptional.

2:47 pm November 14, 2011

William Dixon wrote:

Just one of many reasons he is not president today.

2:48 pm November 14, 2011

Chickenhawks Want Torture wrote:

Sounds good to all the other chickenhawks. It is very interesting to see all the draft dodgers, and including Bush and Cheney, be for torture, but those actually with hardcore military experience (McCain and Paul) be so strongly against it.

2:49 pm November 14, 2011

@William Dixon wrote:

There's really only one reason: G.W. Bush.

2:50 pm November 14, 2011

Curtis wrote:

He is right on this one.

2:51 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

Um, John McCain should shut up. By stating some kind of moral value, (we're above torture) while no other country is... (except for the broke Europeans) is absolute nonsense. It's akin to advocating against swimming pools because you almost drowned in one. In other words, he's biased due to his experience... which I'm just as tired as hearing about almost as much as Bachmann's foster kids.

2:52 pm November 14, 2011

PPP wrote:

The GOP is less a political party than a messianic cult of stupidity.

2:53 pm November 14, 2011

Especially wrote:

Since there is scant evidence that torture is effective at getting information, and lots of evidence that the information that one gets from torture is inherently very suspect.

Not that it will persuade all the cottonheads and chickenhawks who sit around watching Jack Bauer, but the rest of intelligent American understands that it is as ineffective as it is wrong.

2:57 pm November 14, 2011

Josh wrote:

If you have enough evidence to KNOW that you can waterboard someone, you won't HAVE to waterboard them. Besides, countless individuals were improperly turned over to Iraqi and Afghan Police simply to collect reward money, even with little or incorrect evidence. If those individuals weren't terrorists before, you better believe the day they get released they will become eternal enemies of the United States.

2:57 pm November 14, 2011

SAM wrote:

Water boarding may be torture but considering what our enemies call torture how would one tell. If waterboarding is torture was killing Bin Ladin murder?

3:00 pm November 14, 2011

@ Dave 2:08 pm wrote:

"Assume this is layered in sarcasm / irony / snark."

Right you are. I posted that comment to see what kind of response it would get from the armchair warriors on this blog. There is no single individual in the U.S. government with more authority - moral and otherwise - to speak about torture, and it's highly adverse effects on American interests, than McCain.

You'd think that the question "What does McCain know about torture?" would be self-evidently absurd but you'd be wrong.

3:01 pm November 14, 2011

Disheartened wrote:

Wow. The way McCain is treated by Republicans for losing the election is pretty horrible. You've got to at least respect a man who rejected his privileged status and went to the mat for his fellow soldiers, submitting himself to years of extreme physical pain. Something none of us (including all of you insulting him) would ever do.

Seeing as he's probably the only politician who has endured extreme torture, I take his opinion a little more seriously. Who cares if he lost the last election, it doesn't change the fact that this is his area of expertise.

3:01 pm November 14, 2011

Hemingway wrote:

During World War II the Japanese troops and the officers of the Gestapo, the German secret police were the only ones to use water-boarding as a standard method of torture. So Bachmann and Cain want to join the barbarism of the NAZI's and Japanese - pathetic!

3:10 pm November 14, 2011

Stich wrote:

McCain is an idiot.

3:13 pm November 14, 2011

byrd wrote:

If pouring water up someone's nose is illegal, why is zapping an American citizen or any civilian with missiles fired from a drone legal. Would Anwar Al-Awaki agree with President Obama and McCain that water up the nose is too harsh, but killing with drone missiles is fine.

3:15 pm November 14, 2011

Difference Between A Combatant And A Prisoner wrote:

An active combatant who is still fighting risks death. A prisoner who has no choice is something completely different.

You are really really stupid if you can't understand the difference.

3:15 pm November 14, 2011

Andrew wrote:

We've waterboarded like 2 people....he makes it sound like we do it every day.

3:15 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

I beleive this is a Liberal chat or blog room - a lot about poor McCain suffering... You know, there were quite a few people killed on 9/11 (how quickly Lberals like to forgive, forget, enable, get along, understand and move on - moveon.org) families still suffering from their losses, a good number of American Troops killed and wounded in Agahanistan and Irag, their families suffering, and the list goes... So, I think a little waterboarding is okay. The some that are critical of it here should go back down to their tent on Wall Street, put your wife or GF in a burka, grow a beard, so we can drone you.

3:18 pm November 14, 2011

@byrd wrote:

Ridiculous equivalence to draw. Torturing an enemy combatant who is disarmed and under military supervision contravenes all known international norms of the conduct of war. Killing an enemy combatant who remains at large, continues to pose a threat to the citizens of the U.S. and to national security, who actively evades capture and puts those around him at risk to ensure his own safety is the definition of war itself. If you can't see the distinction--as clearly you and many others here can't--you aren't fit for our democracy.

3:19 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

Even McCain has to be right occasionally; and he's absolutely right in that water boarding is torture, and all forms of torture should be outlawed. It's against all we should stand for; does little good; elicits false confessions. If it ware against the law, and I was interrogation someone whom I was positive was aware of the location ofa nuclear weapon set to explode in a major populated area, and all else failed, I would on my own risk punishment for violating the law against torture. In substantiallhlesser circumstances, NO. Just as I would pull the trigger on someone threatening the iife of someone I thought should not die, and therefby face murder charges. My choice, but the laws against murder, and valid ones against torture, should nevertheless stand.

3:21 pm November 14, 2011

Charlie B wrote:

The candidates who said they support waterboarding don't actually know or care what they are talking about. They simply calculate what answer fits the agenda of the likely primary voters, and then give that as the answer to any question they are asked.

The only ones in that group with actual character and conscience are Huntsman and Paul, neither of whom has a chance of winning. We need to end the primary system, which gives extraordinary power to the fringe elements of both parties, and go back to having party insiders choose a candidate. This experiment has failed.

3:26 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

@byrd, your words are typical of someone that talks a lot, but does not read history. Our democracy? First of all, if you are an American, you live in a Republic - there's a difference. (Again, read.) Secondly, your unarmed terrorist friends were not unarmed when they were caught and will be rearmed when they are released... thanks to attittudes like yours, "can't we all ust get along?"

3:33 pm November 14, 2011

@Anonymous wrote:

Yes, yes, a republic and not a democracy, and the GOP is the party of Lincoln, and the founding fathers' original intent is all that matters (slaves, anyone?), and all that weird right-wing claptrap debating the undebatable to rationalize the stupid and the cruel. The single best current source of historical perspective on this subject are the fighting men who have experienced first hand the sufferings of torture at the hands of an enemy. They overwhelmingly condemn the practice.

3:34 pm November 14, 2011

Dave wrote:

Go away McCain. There was a reason we did not elect you President.

3:35 pm November 14, 2011

Informed wrote:

McCain should keep his oversized mouth shut. What does he accomplish by his latest comments? Nothing but play into the hands of the left - of which he often seems a part.

3:35 pm November 14, 2011

Capt. Lewy wrote:

Waterboarding is torture. Torture is illegal.

Any questions?

3:36 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

I wonder if anyone that maintains such strong opinions against waterboarding realizes waterboarding is used on our own service members in training. How is it that senators, presidents or anyone for that matter expect terrorists to be treated better than our own service members in training? The weakness displayed by our leadership is sickening. This is a perfect example of why our allies call American troops, "Lions led by lambs." McCain should recuse himself from this particular dialogue given his background. He is a broken man in this respect and clearly biased in a way that is not favorable towards saving American lives.

3:37 pm November 14, 2011

scott jeffries wrote:

Each candidate supporting water boarding, should have enhanced debating and campaigning questions put to them while being water boarded. Then let them decide if its torture or just enhanced interrogation.

Its a shame that they believe we need to sink to the same levels as our enemies.

3:40 pm November 14, 2011

Chaban wrote:

Good to know that if/when thousand of American lives are on the line, Obama and McCain won't do everything in their power to prevent that from happening.

In Obama's world, it's ok to kill an unarmed man instead of allowing him to face a fair trial (like Bush did for Saddam), but don't you dare pour a little water on some scumbag's face...

3:42 pm November 14, 2011

TAW wrote:

I had a dinner with one of our Abu Ghraib integrators who as involved in something like 160 integrations. He said first of all torture does not work, at best you get much more bad information than good. Secondly he said people have the wrong view of the situations it is used in. The public thinks it is like TV where if LA is going to be blown up by atomic bomb in an hour if you can’t get a bad guy to confess. In that situation no one would have a problem with torture but again it only exists on TV. The reality is the military is a big bureaucracy and they go through a village sweeping up all the males 16 to 50. They then sit in detention for three months before going to an integrator. In all this time they haven’t been talked to by any with the local language skills. In his experience he found one Saudi and felt he probably helped create many terrorists due to the unjust imprisonment.

3:42 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

What the hey I think its crazy to even be waterboarding these people...... haha well n e way just wanted to comment

3:47 pm November 14, 2011

Bill Kaye wrote:

You tell 'em John.
Those wannabee candidates have lost the last of their marbles.

3:48 pm November 14, 2011

James wrote:

I think people who favor waterboarding should undergo it. And not just for five minutes either - I'm talking about a nice, professonal all-afternoon session. When you're all dried off you'll be in a better position to decide if this is something you'd want the US to do as a matter of policy.

3:53 pm November 14, 2011

Catherine Jefferson wrote:

Thank you, Senator McCain. :

I wish that a single one of the current Republican candidates showed the sign of actually getting it about torture. Mr. Cain, Ms. Bachmann, and Gov. Perry are supporting pure evil. IMHO they have disqualified themselves to be president.

Even Rep. Paul and Ambassador Huntsman, however, appear to argue against waterboarding for policy or pragmatic reasons rather than simply stating that is wrong. I agree with Rep. Paul that waterboarding is torture and therefore illegal. I agree with Ambassador Huntsman that it reduces our stature in the world. Given the degree to which this country fell into barbarism over this issue in the 2000s, however, we need a president who is willing to state that fact unambiguously. Until we've acknowledged that and sworn never to repeat it, we can't get our self respect back. Until we do that, we can't expect to follow the laws that we have, to make good laws, or to hold the respect of the rest of the world.

3:55 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

James, I think you should be waterboarded for saying something so silly. Better yet, join the Army and get shot at for a while... allow yourself to be captured and forced to eat goat and goat milk, experice their hospitality, then come back and let's see if you support waterboarding.

3:57 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

It's the same old saying... A conservative is a liberal that's been mugged. In this case, that's been IED'd.

3:58 pm November 14, 2011

Rationalist wrote:

Up until the time when religious fanatics started strapping bombs to themselves and committing suicide next to unknowing strangers, torture for information during wartime might well be regarded as barbaric and beneath us as a civilized society. However, to take lives in order to defend lives and the freedoms of this country is necessary in war. If we don't leave behind the mindset that terrorists have the same rights as us, we will definitely be seeing more and worse acts of violence perpetrated by these thugs. The only way to make them leave us alone seems to be inflicting enough pain so that they will get the message. If water boarding is necessary to get information crucial to the defense of our country and our citizens, let them drown !

4:01 pm November 14, 2011

liberals blow wrote:

I feel that we should torture them as they do us. If we were ever to go to war with England again, they would beat us with a feather, so we should do the same to them (and they would squeal over it). If on the other hand it was a middle eastern country, they would cut off body parts while our soldier is alive and drag their bodies down the street so I believe we should do the same to them. As for waterboarding, it is too nice.

I had a dinner with one of our Abu Ghraib integrators who as involved in something like 160 integrations. He said first of all torture does not work, at best you get much more bad information than good. Secondly he said people have the wrong view of the situations it is used in. The public thinks it is like TV where if LA is going to be blown up by atomic bomb in an hour if you can’t get a bad guy to confess. In that situation no one would have a problem with torture but again it only exists on TV. The reality is the military is a big bureaucracy and they go through a village sweeping up all the males 16 to 50. They then sit in detention for three months before going to an integrator. In all this time they haven’t been talked to by any with the local language skills. In his experience he found one Saudi and felt he probably helped create many terrorists due to the unjust imprisonment.

4:17 pm November 14, 2011

William R. Barker wrote:

"The Arizona senator, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, has been a longtime critic of the so-called enhanced interrogation measures adopted by the Bush administration to pry information from suspected terrorists."

Too bad the author of this article - Patrick O'Connor - couldn't be bothered to do a bit of research all the way to to... oh... say the 2008 McCain record.

Anyone who was paying attention then - or who could bother doing the research necessary so as to not embarrass his profession - might note that candidate McCain always stuck to one very important caveat concerning his... er... opposition... to waterboarding:

McCain's position as a candidate - a position he articulated on several occasions, including debates - was that were he elected president and were he to feel the "need" to authorize waterboarding... "torture"... than he would reserve that right to do so unto himself as president.

McCain is a phony and a hypocrite. No one should care what he says.

4:18 pm November 14, 2011

The Hard Truth wrote:

Gingrich, Cain, Romney, Bachmann and Santorum are all just political hacks who will say what they think will do them best in the polls to the GOP. If they thought the polls would be against torture, they would be against torture in a second.

Paul and Huntsman are the only two candidates with cojones who are willing to do the right think no matter what the retards who constitute the GOP base thinks.

4:20 pm November 14, 2011

McCain is a Born Loser wrote:

Can this old f*rt just go away into oblivion? This loser has no right to interject in the current debate. Who the hell does this fool think he is? The world knows of his infidelity and how he left his first wife after having an affair with the current for so many years. Shut your mouth and just go away, McCain. You are the reason why we have a loser of a president in the WH right now. You darned sick old fool.

4:22 pm November 14, 2011

@TAW wrote:

Do you mean "interrogators" and "interrogations"? Wow. I'll leave it at that.

4:23 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

A lot of ignorant commenters here think we're torturing only terrorists. This is not so. Many innocent people were being tortured under the prior administration's policy, leading to false leads and coerced confessions (in other words, bad intelligence), as people will say anything their torturer wants to hear, true or not, in order to stop the pain and anguish. Countries most directly affected by terrorism - see Israel - know this and don't torture because IT DOESN'T WORK!

Forget for a moment the immorality and illegality. As an intelligence tool, it is ineffective.

4:26 pm November 14, 2011

Capt. Lewy wrote:

"Paul and Huntsman are the only two candidates with cojones who are willing to do the right think no matter what the retards who constitute the GOP base thinks." - 4:18 pm

Absolutely correct, couldn't agree more. What is it about angry ignorance that the GOP base finds so attractive?

4:28 pm November 14, 2011

will wrote:

As a conservative republican and american citizen i have to agree with mccain 100%. Waterboarding is illegal under US law, international law and damages our moral character as a nation. McCain was tortured for years, he owns this issue. Not to mention Reagan was strongly against waterboarding and instructed his justice department to prosecute ppl for waterboarding.

4:29 pm November 14, 2011

TAW wrote:

Thanks a should have proofed better

4:32 pm November 14, 2011

lol wrote:

Do it liberal-Obama style: kill them all with missiles

4:32 pm November 14, 2011

Republican Torturers wrote:

Even if the messenger is not someone you like the fact is that water boarding is torture.

That only Paul and Huntsman had the decency to speak against that form of torture shows how morally bankrupt are the republican frontrunners.

Romney supports torture also. He argued against Mr. McCain and lost.

(Romney is an instrument of torture himself.)

4:37 pm November 14, 2011

I will trust the judgment of our military to determine what is torture and what is not torture, wrote:

“” Cain said. Asked about waterboarding in particular, he replied, “I would return to that policy. I don’t see it as torture, I see it as an enhanced interrogation technique.”

Both Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Texas Governor Rick Perry agreed with Cain, with Perry drawing sustained applause when declared, “This is war.” Of the use of waterboarding and other techniques, he added, “I will defend them until I die.”

The use of waterboarding was discontinued late in the administration of President George W. Bush, and top officials later conceded that waterboarding in particular was illegal.

Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture,[1][2][3] rape,[1][2] sodomy,[3] and homicide[4] of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) came to public attention. These acts were committed by military police personnel of the United States Army together with additional US governmental agencies.[5]

Lynndie England holding a leash attached to a prisoner, known to the guards as “Gus”, who is lying on the floor

This image of a prisoner being tortured has become famous internationally, eventually making it onto the cover of The Economist (see “Media” below). Revealed in the Taguba Report, an initial criminal investigation by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command had already been underway, where soldiers of the 320th Military Police Battalion had been charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with prisoner abuse. In 2004, articles describing the abuse, including pictures showing military personnel appearing to abuse prisoners, came to public attention, when a 60 Minutes II news report (April 28) and an article by Seymour M. Hersh in The New Yorker magazine (posted online on April 30 and published days later in the May 10 issue) reported the story.

4:44 pm November 14, 2011

Rufus Choate wrote:

Who? I thought he was dead. Oh only politically

4:50 pm November 14, 2011

BKS wrote:

John McCain needs to calm down and fade away. If any of these candidates take any advice from McCain seriously, they deserve what they get next year. McCain only knows how to lose and running as Obama-lite like McCain did will only kill the nation's hopes of replacing the worst President in history in 2012.

4:55 pm November 14, 2011

Richard Sullivan wrote:

Rain bombs, and hellfire missiles upon them, and their families, but by no means pour water up their nostrils. Designated assassination is acceptable, but non lethal discomfort is not. Pure Hypocrisy of the highest order.

4:57 pm November 14, 2011

No to torture, we are better than that. wrote:

IS ABOUT TORTURE

NOT ABOUT

MCCAIN

(What a pack of idiots!)

4:58 pm November 14, 2011

Get Real wrote:

Just curious. Wonder how many of you that so vehemently support water boarding and disparage McCain has ever served in the military? My guess is that most of you have never done anything to serve this country, other than run your sorry mouths.

5:16 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

Its quite shocking the number of people posting here who disparage McCain personally. Agree or not with his position on waterboarding, the man sacrificed his body for his country, and is deserving of respect.

And you call yourselves pro-military conservatives? You should be ashamed (if you're capable of feeling shame.)

So-called conservatives insulting McCain are disgusting lowlifes.

5:24 pm November 14, 2011

Brian wrote:

Ron Paul is the only completely logical, intelligent person on that stage that wants to make our country better.

5:31 pm November 14, 2011

My favorite line wrote:

Mr. Huntsman, the former U.S. ambassador to China, said the U.S. diminishes its “standing in the world".

5:38 pm November 14, 2011

Chuck Norris wrote:

Mr. McCain served and suffered in the name of country. For those who offer just snide insults, have you?

5:39 pm November 14, 2011

SAM wrote:

I am puzzled that it seems to be OK to incinerate the Innocent from 30,000 feet or kill them with drone fired missiles but at the same time it is held to violate all norms to "waterboard" but not otherwise permanently harm someone. To me it seems just a tab bit hypocritical and illogical.

McCain had no problems dropping bombs on people he could not see but suddenly he is up close and on the receiving end and "torture" becomes a big moral issue. Again seems just a tad bit hypocritical.

5:46 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

I have a great deal of regard for McCain's experiences and actions in the Hanoi Hilton. I am sure he is the only candidate who has actually suffered physical torture as opposed to the mental torture inflicted on the public body by current politicians/candidates. I would listen carefully to what he says,but would not ban all waterboarding. The use of it in very select cases should be reserved. As several have noted this method is tame to that of putting a Hellfire missile in the window of some terrorist who is oblivious to what is about to happen. We are faced with determined killers and should give no quarter and keep all options open.

5:56 pm November 14, 2011

Another defeat for the GOP in 2012 wrote:

The Republicans committed suicide in 2008 by running this senile, over-the-hill hapless soul. Can't somebody walk him gently back to his bed so that the meds can kick in and McCain can get a good night's sleep? He's always better in the a.m., loses lucidity as the sun goes down.

6:01 pm November 14, 2011

Don Bistrow wrote:

Hey Mr. McCain - as a retired Navy pilot and long time Senator haven't you ever heard of SERE training?

Why do I ask? Because some form of waterboarding is a part of that training. Rangers Lead the Way Mr. Senator - others lose their way. OOOHHHAAA!

6:02 pm November 14, 2011

kat wrote:

Yes, it is interesting this question was not addressed to Romney & Gingrich, isn't it?
There's a reason Mr. MCCAIN was not elected as the GOP candidate. We do not need another Obama-lite.

6:13 pm November 14, 2011

rick geiger wrote:

I respect McCain but his position on this is wrong and here is why. If the situation is that we hold terrorists that we have high confidence have knowledge that could prevent mass murder of Americans, putting that terrorist in an uncomfortable position for a while is more than justified, in fact it would be clearly immoral to allow the mass murder of Americans because of concern over the short term comfort of a terrorist

6:27 pm November 14, 2011

Rh wrote:

Cowards! It is easy to say because these feckless politicians have not been through the pain of one. I wish they would sit with senator McCain and listen to him before they make such a pandering to the gallery observation. The US prides itself on values, and should, is better than falling to the lowest common denominator

6:36 pm November 14, 2011

PJ Garrison wrote:

McCain, while a nice man, needs to retire, pronto.
And he should take Harry Reid with him.

6:37 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

I am very sorry that McCain suffered during his capture, and we have honored him for his extreme sacrifice. It is now time to stop feeling sorry for McCain and hold him accountable for his political actions. Senator McCain needs to be replaced. I am hopeful that he will not be the Republican candidate in 2016. Till then we will have to put up with him.

6:57 pm November 14, 2011

stiffinp wrote:

Just because Jack Bower makes it work so well doesn't mean we should do it.

6:58 pm November 14, 2011

jillian wrote:

It's lying sacks of republican $#!^ like Mccain that keep me an independent.
Retire Mccain, just freaking retire, go home and take care of your drug addict wife. Oh, divorcing her too huh...
Taking no prisoners will solve the issue of whether to waterboard or not.

7:29 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

Ron Paul s the last hope for America and the so called Republican Party.

7:42 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

The GOP has turned into a bunch of flaming, reactionary windbags.

7:50 pm November 14, 2011

jcarob wrote:

Waterboarding is torture and forbidden. Assasination accompanied by collateral damage is OK. Senator John needs some psychotherapy.

8:29 pm November 14, 2011

Don't waterboard. Do something worse. wrote:

Please stop the insanity. These people would do worse to us.

(OK, yeah, the gov sometimes tortures the wrong guy and the innocent shouldn't have their fingernail ripped out, but the others should!)

8:39 pm November 14, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

To all those posting here wondering why torture is unacceptable but drone strikes aren't, there is a legal basis for drone strikes. There is legal underpinning and legal rationale. There is none for torture.

It is precisely the same reason we have the death penalty in our prison systems but we don't torture prisoners.

12:23 am November 15, 2011

oo wrote:

How many unintended victims died because of predators operations ? You'd think a hellfire missile kills only the target ? No, it blows up the whole building or even block.

12:25 am November 15, 2011

knihc wrote:

There is legal basis for BOTH assassinations and waterboardings. You just need to ask the right constitution lawyers: Barack Obama for the first, John Yoo for the second.

12:39 am November 15, 2011

Mac wrote:

Guantanamo and waterboard are only for foreign combatants. But Al-Awlaki and Samit Khan were US citizens !! Therefore their rights were protected by the 6th amendment: notifications, confront the accusers, access to evidence and fair trial. Unless of course, Obama adopted neo-con approach: dispense justice however he likes it.

12:40 am November 15, 2011

THE ULTIMATE QUESTION wrote:

Would you have water up your nose or a heat seeking missile in your face ?

1:34 am November 15, 2011

Kaiser Soze wrote:

Don't you people worry. The people who some would like to waterboard are coming to the United States. Those of you who wish to can welcome them to your childrens' grade school like the other ones did in Russia a few years back. Offer them hand shakes, hugs and kisses, or whatever you like while the rest of us maintain some form of defensive posture. Please, come back here and let the rest of us know how that worked out for you.

5:07 am November 15, 2011

james schaad wrote:

i don't trust his objections. he is trying to be holier then thou, such nonsense. if these crazies were going to kill his loved ones, don't tell me he would not do anything, anything to extract information to save them. it is beyond me that he was nominated to run for president

7:49 am November 15, 2011

TC wrote:

Water-boarding is mock execution. The person is told he will be killed. In some cases the person is killed, only to be revived, and killed again. Talk about torture, being killed over and over. And there is no one to appeal to for these people. Where is the rule of law?

9:45 am November 15, 2011

Neil wrote:

I thought it was well understood that many torture victims will, very often, tell you what they think you want to hear. Hearts and minds is a much better way forward. Give them a good meal and while they sit back in comfort, ask a few questions. Once they get used to answering all manner of good information will be acquired.

6:06 am November 16, 2011

CNA Training Online wrote:

I really like what you guys tend to be up too. Such clever work and coverage! Keep up the amazing works guys I've incorporated you guys to our blogroll.

10:47 am November 16, 2011

water board for mitt wrote:

Romney also likes water boarding now, Before he thought it was not so nice. If he gets nominated he will be against it.

If you water board Mitt 10 times you will get 20 different answers flip flopped against each other very very neatly.

10:14 am November 17, 2011

Humbellisse wrote:

A Very interesting postvery much appreciated especially with what i am endeavoring to accomplish.

Does someone have any more reading? Where's the best place to begin here on this site?

Sen. McCain, please go away. Really. Just go away. You're partly responsible for the fool we have in the White House now because you're a crummy candidate, and you showed no guts in not going after Obama until the final week of the campaign. Your campaign for President was torture for me, to be honest. I can't wait until you're out of the Senate and way from public life. Oh, and please take your fat daughter and aging Barbie doll wife with you!

2:33 pm November 18, 2011

rufus levin wrote:

who CARES what John McCain says anymore.....old sofa needs to go away....go maverick someone that gives a flip about ranting and raving with no results. McCain....tons of SMOKE, but no HEAT at all.

2:34 pm November 18, 2011

rufus levin wrote:

Let's get with the international NORM. forget waterboarding and go direct to BEHEADING on the spot.

2:36 pm November 18, 2011

rufus levin wrote:

6:37 pm November 14, 2011
Anonymous wrote:

I am very sorry that McCain suffered during his capture, and we have honored him for his extreme sacrifice. It is now time to stop feeling sorry for McCain and hold him accountable for his political actions. Senator McCain needs to be replaced. I am hopeful that he will not be the Republican candidate in 2016. Till then we will have to put up with him.

well put.....MCCAIN HAS BECOME THE POLITICAL EQUIVALENT OF BLACKS....SO USED TO GETTING A PASS BASED ON VICTIMHOOD THAT HE FORGETS THAT THE WAR WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW.

ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO PASS JOHN...PLEASE GO ON AND PASS...

3:09 pm November 18, 2011

Rich wrote:

Of course few can identify with this topic as personally as Sen. McCain. Perhaps that is the problem. I would be interested to hear what our new CIA Director, Mr. Petraeus has to say on this topic. I would be inclined to do what is effective.

3:59 pm November 18, 2011

FreeRange wrote:

It's always enlightening to hear advice to candidates from President McCain.

8:27 pm November 18, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

Agree with McCain. The candidates who support waterboarding are just conveniently renaming torture "enhanced interrogation" to make it somehow seem like they're possibly somewhat MAYBE being a little tiny bit humane in some vague way, shape, or form. MAYBE.

At the point where we're torturing ("interrogating") people, we're threatening the idea of the right to life, one idea which forms most of the basis of our own government ideals. If we're utilizing inhumane interrogation methods in the name of public safety for the US, doesn't that just totally undermine the validity of any claims we made, make, or will make about protecting the right to life and not using cruel/unusual punishment? The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness AND the statement against cruel/unusual punishment are BOTH in our Bill of Rights. What's the use of using these methods to supposedly protect the people if the ideals of the people are being jeopardized?

At the very least, using or even renaming waterboarding makes us looks like total hypocrites.

Another problem with waterboarding is that torture (or "enhanced interrogation," if you still insist on calling it that) drives people to say things that aren't true, just to make it stop. Is EVERYTHING that suspects say when being waterboarded true? What if they're not even terrorists to begin with?

These candidates really should start reading into policy and start learning from McCain - after all, he's got so much more experience with not just torture (he was subjected to torture, too, so he clearly must know firsthand how awful it must be) but also with policy in general and they can maybe even learn from his mistakes during his own campaign in '08.

After all, if a Republican "slams" the new GOP candidates, maybe they should listen to SOMEONE FROM THEIR OWN PARTY. No, he's not a weak-kneed liberal. He's a Republican. He's not making liberal statements - he's just being HUMANE. If even their fellow Republican disagrees with Bachmann and Perry, clearly something is wrong with their support of torture.

3:26 pm November 20, 2011

johnnydibaggio wrote:

Hello. On this site you'll find top 10 cheapest web hosting provides.

2:51 am November 21, 2011

uggs wrote:

Upright role! Nice brief and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Say thank you you as your information.

11:59 am November 28, 2011

Rodney P. Eady wrote:

Good post. I be taught something more difficult on totally different blogs everyday. It is going to always be stimulating to read content material from different writers and observe slightly something from their store. I¡¯d prefer to use some with the content material on my blog whether you don¡¯t mind. Natually I¡¯ll provide you with a hyperlink on your internet blog. Thanks for sharing.

4:37 pm December 13, 2011

Pozycjonowanie Top wrote:

Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your weblog? My blog is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my visitors would truly benefit from some of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Thanks!

4:38 pm December 13, 2011

Pozycjonowanie wrote:

Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My website is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would definitely benefit from some of the information you present here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Appreciate it!

Hey this is kind of of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

3:48 pm December 19, 2011

Bielizna Damska wrote:

Hey there this is somewhat of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

8:19 pm December 21, 2011

TuckAcess wrote:

I'm very glad to join in blogs.wsj.com, I post to this category this,perhap i have posted to the wrong category. I'm here to looking some information about purple prom dresses

8:20 pm December 21, 2011

TuckAcess wrote:

I'm very glad to join in blogs.wsj.com, I post to this category this,perhap i have posted to the wrong category. I'm here to looking some information about simple prom dresses

7:18 am December 22, 2011

TuckAcess wrote:

I'm very glad to join in blogs.wsj.com, I post to this category this,perhap i have posted to the wrong category. I'm here to looking some information about prom dresses cheap

Hi there! Quick question that's completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when browsing from my iphone4. I'm trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to resolve this problem. If you have any suggestions, please share. Cheers!

9:39 pm January 2, 2012

Baby Bottle Labels wrote:

Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; we have created some nice procedures and we are looking to exchange strategies with other folks, be sure to shoot me an email if interested.

9:40 pm January 2, 2012

Baby Bottle Labels wrote:

Hi, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how do you protect against it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it's driving me crazy so any assistance is very much appreciated.

9:40 pm January 2, 2012

Baby Bottle Labels wrote:

Appreciating the dedication you put into your website and detailed information you provide. It's great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same unwanted rehashed information. Great read! I've saved your site and I'm including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

9:40 pm January 2, 2012

Baby Bottle Labels wrote:

Hmm it appears like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I had written and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog writer but I'm still new to everything. Do you have any points for newbie blog writers? I'd really appreciate it.

9:40 pm January 2, 2012

Baby Bottle Labels wrote:

Hello there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading through your articles. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Many thanks!

9:40 pm January 2, 2012

Baby Bottle Labels wrote:

Hello! This post couldn't be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!

9:45 pm January 3, 2012

spider repellent wrote:

Hi! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work due to no data backup. Do you have any methods to protect against hackers?

2:01 pm January 6, 2012

pjhonn wrote:

Adult video blog :
[b]http://goo.gl/jAdrh
[/b]

11:52 pm January 7, 2012

TuckAcess wrote:

Two hours to 90 minutes. Empire Wedding Dresses I'm trying to say "she shouldn't have counted on her friend understanding", or "she shouldn't have counted on her friend to understand" but I'm not sure which tense the "understanding" should be in, or if there are any other words between "her friend" and "to understand". Anything I try just sounds weird.. . Would "Elle n?aurait pas d? compter sur son amie pour comprendre" be right?.

11:52 pm January 7, 2012

TuckAcess wrote:

how to enter achat room? Grammy Style Dresses How important is university name in obtaining a job as a professor?

11:53 pm January 7, 2012

TuckAcess wrote:

How can I change the standard coaxial cable input to RCA or AV? Golden Globe Style Dresses What is the Source of carbon used to make the complex carbohydrates in photosynthesis?. Biology Study guide question i could not find in the book. Please 10 points to best answer!.

7:31 pm January 11, 2012

Electric Trailer Brakes wrote:

My spouse and I stumbled over here different web page and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to looking over your web page again.

7:31 pm January 11, 2012

Electric Trailer Brakes wrote:

Greetings from Colorado! I'm bored at work so I decided to check out your website on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the knowledge you provide here and can't wait to take a look when I get home. I'm shocked at how fast your blog loaded on my phone .. I'm not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, superb site!

Do you have a spam problem on this site; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have created some nice methods and we are looking to trade techniques with other folks, why not shoot me an e-mail if interested.

3:56 pm November 10, 2012

Scernenlacy wrote:

Please let me know if you're looking for a article author for your blog. You have some really great articles and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd really like to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested. Cheers!

3:56 pm November 10, 2012

Scernenlacy wrote:

Right now it appears like BlogEngine is the best blogging platform out there right now. (from what I've read) Is that what you are using on your blog?

Add a Comment

Error message

Name

We welcome thoughtful comments from readers. Please comply with our guidelines. Our blogs do not require the use of your real name.

About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.